My girlfriend and I are hitting the full circuit in two weeks. We both planned to take our standard trail runners and light hiking socks, but knowing the weather volatility down there and keeping an eye on extended forecasts, I assume we'll be walking in a lot of wet conditions in temps in the low to mid forties, with a fair share of foot-soaking rain and snow mixtures.

We planned to take bread bags to get us through snowy patches, but I've personally never tried this before. This will be the coldest trek I've ever done, and as such, will be the first time that I care whether my feet get wet.

Can anyone chime in on whether bread bags will cut it for us down there/in similar conditions, or if we should suck up the cost and weight and invest in some Rocky GTX socks?

Chris,My wife used Keen Trail runners with GT and was very happy with them. However, we didn't really have any nasty weather. If it was me I would probably use the Goretex socks instead of plastic bags. We talked to a German couple who had two days of heavy rain nd said their shoes with Goretex didn't dry out for two more days. At least regular trail runners with GT socks will dry out.

Normal shoes with NRS Hydroskins (ultra thin neoprene) for soggy conditions. Slim fitting, light and warm. Great if you need them, even greater if they just stay in the pack for insurance. Just make sure you dry your feet off and let them air out at the end of the day.